VN Is it good VN design to include side quests that belong to completely different genres than the main story?

[Freeworlddev]

Hey guys,

I'm in the process of creating a visual novel. The main story is slice-of-life, however, I'm considering adding fully fleshed out side quests that are practically self-contained anthology series set in the main world of my VN.

For reference, this is a sandbox style VN. Think Summertime Saga.

The side quests serve to explore the world the players find themselves in since it's a parallel universe to our world. That includes things like the criminal underbelly (more action themed stuff), to AI (fantasy/horror planned for that one. DDLC inspired), to the more common slice-of-life themed side quests (one of our side quests explores how this world works overall; from office life, recreational activities, etc).

While they do have wildly different themes, they're all tied in a semi-realistic setting so players can experience how very, very different (and surreal) this parallel dimension is.

Is it tied to the main story? No. It's very self contained and doesn't effect the character in the primary narrative overall.

Is this considered a good or bad idea in general?

 

[Doorknob22]

To each his, own, but I hate it when the dev suddenly decides that "the characters now play D&D so I can have a few medieval/fantasy sex scenes thrown in" or some other bullshit. To me it feels more like cheap filler than actual content. If you're running out of ideas for your contemporary AVN, finish it and start a new one, but please don't have the players now play a SCIFI MMORPG so you can have them fucking robots or whatever, because you don't know where to take the plot and got a good bargain on SCIFI Daz3d models.

 

[Freeworlddev]

To each his, own, but I hate it when the dev suddenly decides that "the characters now play D&D so I can have a few medieval/fantasy sex scenes thrown in" or some other bullshit. To me it feels more like cheap filler than actual content. If you're running out of ideas for your contemporary AVN, finish it and start a new one, but please don't have the players now play a SCIFI MMORPG so you can have them fucking robots or whatever, because you don't know where to take the plot and got a good bargain on SCIFI Daz3d models.

But my elf models

Hehe, just kidding. It's mainly my desire to explore different facets of an alternate universe... but I swear, my brain loves throwing out random ideas on the fly sometimes.

 

[Sprungler]

To each his, own, but I hate it when the dev suddenly decides that "the characters now play D&D so I can have a few medieval/fantasy sex scenes thrown in" or some other bullshit. To me it feels more like cheap filler than actual content. If you're running out of ideas for your contemporary AVN, finish it and start a new one, but please don't have the players now play a SCIFI MMORPG so you can have them fucking robots or whatever, because you don't know where to take the plot and got a good bargain on SCIFI Daz3d models.

Oh God, I hate the random D&D scenes so much...

 

[anne O'nymous]

To each his, own, but I hate it when the dev suddenly decides that "the characters now play D&D so I can have a few medieval/fantasy sex scenes thrown in" or some other bullshit.

I tend to agree, but there's exception when it fit to the story and serve it. What also imply that there isn't sex scene during that interlude, at most a bit of lewd. It serve to strengthen the bound between the characters, eventually explore part of their personality that wouldn't be obvious or easy to explore in the normal setting, but it's not an excuse for different kind of sex.

 

[orellion]

Sounds interesting to me. The one thing I'd avoid is going from a realistic setting (have to earn your women) to unrealistic (MC can fuck anything that moves), or vice versa.

 

[Freeworlddev]

Sounds interesting to me. The one thing I'd avoid is going from a realistic setting (have to earn your women) to unrealistic (MC can fuck anything that moves), or vice versa.

The entire game is set in a freeuse themed parallel dimension similar to ours. Sex is as casual as breathing air there. But then again, it isn't just the MC getting laid all the time - it's literally everyone. Men and women.

 

[Goeffel]

It's mainly my desire to explore different facets of an alternate universe... but I swear, my brain loves throwing out random ideas on the fly sometimes.

That sounds exactly like post-complete add-on content, once your main game is finished and has its followers.
See if you can theme it around special events (xmas, halloween, etc.) and it is 2x win for your fans, and for your reputation.

 

[tanstaafl]

Interesting idea if you stick to only tags and genres that I like. Otherwise it's crap and you should feel bad.

 

[orellion]

The entire game is set in a freeuse themed parallel dimension similar to ours. Sex is as casual as breathing air there. But then again, it isn't just the MC getting laid all the time - it's literally everyone. Men and women.

Your main world mechanic then, usually some sort of grind unless you want to write a million words, might seem useless then once they are able to visit the parallel world.

 

[EvolutionKills]

The entire game is set in a freeuse themed parallel dimension similar to ours. Sex is as casual as breathing air there. But then again, it isn't just the MC getting laid all the time - it's literally everyone. Men and women.

Fair Warning - That has the potential to piss off a LOT of snowflakes.

Folks here bitch up a storm if an MC looks out their window and sees the neighbors fucking because they think they're being cucked. Free Use is not just something you drop out of the blue on a 'vanilla' scenario (even as an explicitly in-universe fiction) without expecting a substantial amount of blowback. Just be aware of just how many folks are deeply insecure, unhealthily invest themselves in the protagonist, and then see anything other than the universe revolving around their self-insert's sexual supremacy as unacceptably emasculating.

I don't mind tangents, so long as you can do them well. But again, be aware that tangents that fundamentally alter the relationship status of love-interest characters have the potential to blow up in your face, depending on the baseline scenario. Slapping a free-use tangent on top of a game that already plays fast and loose with relationships? Probably won't ruffle too many feathers. You drop that into a bog standard isekai dipshit harem parody? There's gonna be torches and pitchforks my dude.

Torches and pitchforks.

 

[Freeworlddev]

Fair Warning - That has the potential to piss off a LOT of snowflakes.

Folks here bitch up a storm if an MC looks out their window and sees the neighbors fucking because they think they're being cucked. Free Use is not just something you drop out of the blue on a 'vanilla' scenario (even as an explicitly in-universe fiction) without expecting a substantial amount of blowback. Just be aware of just how many folks are deeply insecure, unhealthily invest themselves in the protagonist, and then see anything other than the universe revolving around their self-insert's sexual supremacy as unacceptably emasculating.

I don't mind tangents, so long as you can do them well. But again, be aware that tangents that fundamentally alter the relationship status of love-interest characters have the potential to blow up in your face, depending on the baseline scenario. Slapping a free-use tangent on top of a game that already plays fast and loose with relationships? Probably won't ruffle too many feathers. You drop that into a bog standard isekai dipshit harem parody? There's gonna be torches and pitchforks my dude.

Torches and pitchforks.

View attachment 4794736

There is a primary love interest in the game... but I'll leave that when the first demo releases.

However, there is "cucking" in the sense that one of the side characters is a scary biker dude that's absolutely livid you aren't blatantly lusting after his girlfriend. The MC is simply trying to be respectful according to our world's standards, but his behavior is considered offensive in this world.

The big draw to the game (I'm hoping!) is what I'd dub erotic surrealism. Imagine a serious, non-parody world, that's entirely sex-focused. How did they evolve (e.g. it's explained their evolutionary line hails primarily from bonobos)? How insanely surreal would their culture be in comparison to ours?

One of the big influences behind my VN is Life is Strange... so lots of interpersonal relationships!

 

[EvolutionKills]

The big draw to the game (I'm hoping!) is what I'd dub erotic surrealism. Imagine a serious, non-parody world, that's entirely sex-focused. How did they evolve (e.g. it's explained their evolutionary line hails primarily from bonobos)? How insanely surreal would their culture be in comparison to ours?

That's... already a parody? Like, our world isn't entirely sex themed, but it isn't anti-sexually themed either. The world is big, shit is complicated. How sexually liberated or repressive cultures are (not worlds, but cultures) kinda runs the gamut. We don't have a monoculture, and turning the world into one is a bit reductionist. To boil a world down to extreme sexual promiscuity isn't surreal, it's just a Mizuryu Kei doujin.

Spoiler: Cover of 'Welcome to MizuryuLand! The 1st Day' by Mizuryu Kei

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Also, is the draw really going too be to inhabit a boring everyman from our 'normal' world who's only point is to bounce around and gawk at everyone else fucking with abandon? To what end? Incessantly commenting on just how 'wacky' or 'surreal' the situation is? Just a perpetual lampshade hanger? Keep in mind that your audience already comes from this normal world. We don't actually need a self-insert normie to highlight just how different such a world would be from our own. I'd either want to just follow along on the adventures of a local for some escapism; or if I did have to sit through a trite isekai scenario, then you'd better make the journey of how they adapt to this new normal actually interesting.

 

[Freeworlddev]

Also, is the draw really going too be to inhabit a boring everyman from our 'normal' world who's only point is to bounce around and gawk at everyone else fucking with abandon? To what end? Incessantly commenting on just how 'wacky' or 'surreal' the situation is? Just a perpetual lampshade hanger? Keep in mind that your audience already comes from this normal world. We don't actually need a self-insert normie to highlight just how different such a world would be from our own. I'd either want to just follow along on the adventures of a local for some escapism; or if I did have to sit through a trite isekai scenario, then you'd better make the journey of how they adapt to this new normal actually interesting.

I'm working with a few writers, so we're hoping the story is interesting! The demo should give a small sample, so we should get ample feedback from folks.

But yeah, the MC will be fucking lots of locals, as well. It'll just be in different situations depending on where he goes.